Development of Adaptive Skills, Assistive Devices, Special Therapies

About this chapter

Development of Adaptive Skills, Assistive Devices and Special Therapies is the chapter behind the inclusive-education portion of the CDP Paper II syllabus. It defines adaptive skills as the simpler methods parents and teachers use to develop competencies in persons with disabilities so that they can apply Reading, Writing and Arithmetic (3 Rs) in natural settings, and walks an upper-primary teacher (Classes VI-VIII) through adaptations for each impairment: sign language, lip reading and aided listening for hearing/speech impairment; task analysis broken into behavioural steps for learning disabilities (dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, ADHD, dysphasia); Braille, large-print books, low-vision lenses and good illumination for visual impairment; massage, splints, calipers and corner chairs for locomotor disability and cerebral palsy; and a multidisciplinary team (special educator, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, psychologist, social worker, family) for multiple disability. Assistive devices — white cane, abacus, arithmetic frames, hearing aids, talking boards, walkers, wheel chairs, communication boards — supplement these adaptations. Special methods include family counselling, play method, yoga, exercise and correct positioning. CTET Paper II tests definitions, device-to-disability matching, the Taare Zameen Par dyslexia example, role of teacher, U/Y seating for intellectual disability, and the multidisciplinary team list. Practice 15 + Quiz 15 + Hard 15 + Mastery 30 cover all of this at CTET depth.